The police in a statement by its public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood specially said the order was applicable to Lagos-Ibadan, Shagamu-Benin, Benin-Onitsha, Okene-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Katsina – Kano, Otukpo – Enugu routes and Enugu – Port Harcourt Express Way.
The development, according to the police, was to safeguard and guarantee free passage of goods and travellers throughout the country and ease doing business.
The statement emphasized that no police department, section, squad or unit should mount roadblocks without permission of the Inspector General of Police.
However, police personnel engaged in vehicular patrol on highways and major roads across the country were mandated to wear, on their uniforms, a bold name tag and service number.
Idris further mandated all Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Commissioners of Police, Heads of Departments, to ensure that every patrol vehicle in their respective Formation had a
Conspicuous and legible inscription of Patrol vehicle identification number for ease of identification and dedicated emergency Phone numbers to attend to distress calls by Nigerians.
Specifically, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, in charge of border patrol of the force, was directed to ensure compliance with this directive along the border routes in the country apart from
Some approved points by the federal government.
The statement further read, “The Special X-Squad teams of the Force have been deployed throughout the country, they are under strict instructions to arrest, investigate and discipline any Police personnel violating this directive.”
“The IGP has also directed the Special X-Squads to embark on removal of other forms of illegal blockage and obstructions on Highways and Roads, created by unlawful Revenue/Tax collectors,
Road Transport Unions Labour and Trade-related unions inhibiting vehicular movement and smooth passage of passengers and goods, and other road users across the country.”
“For avoidance of doubt, the Taxes and Levies act, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 section 2 (2) disallowed any person, including a Tax Authority from mounting a Roadblock in any part of
The Federation for the purposes of collecting any Tax or Levy.”
“While monitoring and ensuring full compliance with this directive by all the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Force hereby advised the relevant State Governments, Local Government
Councils, Boards of States Internal Revenue Service, and various Transport Unions, Labour and Traders Associations that it is against the law for any organization to create a blockage to restrict or restrain members of the public the free usage of Roads and Highways anywhere in the country.”
and then